Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, has warned Ghanaians against engaging in transactional sex.
Speaking to Joy FM, the AIDS Commission boss said Ghana’s target of achieving zero HIV infections by 2030 is achievable, but only if the youth of the country desist from transactional and commercial sexual activities.
“Some young people see sex as a means of making income. We have hookups, which entail young men and women offering themselves as sexual providers to sugar mummies and daddies. All these expose them to HIV/Aids,” he said.
According to Dr Atuahene, HIV, unlike other diseases such as COVID-19 and tuberculosis, is contracted through deliberate actions, hence the need for the youth to be cautious in their sexual escapades.
“Nobody can force the pathogen into your body. You decide to have sex and it does not come out of the blue,” he noted.
He also urged the youth to practice abstinence and safe sex, while noting the availability of HIV/AIDS treatment.
In the first half of 2022, 495 Ghanaians tested positive for HIV.
The figure represents two per cent of the total number of 948, 094 who got tested for HIV within the period in review.